Life after One Life …

Yes, I’m back … and it’s taken me till now to recover! My weekend at One Life was ‘full on’ to put it mildly - 21 hours on my feet saying the same thing over and over again, not to mention the setting up and packing away and so on. I’m just glad I saw sense and booked a nearby hotel, rather than having to trek back home every night as well! And it was a real family affair. My sister came all the way down from up north to help out on Friday and Saturday and my mum, bless her, spent her Mother’s Day standing on my stand! Hey, it was hard work but really good fun. I met some great people, had some lovely conversations and, best of all, got some really positive feedback about Mummo. After a few recent ‘wobbles’, I came away from One Life with renewed confidence in what I’m doing. I got a glimpse of success, just enough to fire me up again and give me a new burst of energy …

So I’ve been back in the office beavering away, trying to capitalise on the contacts I made as well as test the first part of the website. And, of course, I don’t have the luxury of admin support these days … so there’s no-one else to enter email addresses into the computer but me! I’m suddenly scarily busy, and the children are already reacting to the fact that they don’t see mummy as much as they used to. It’s definitely a mum thing - I’m racked with guilt for working 3 days a week plus a very occasional evening or weekend, whilst daddy disappears 5 days out of 7 and never questions it! But don’t let me get on that soap box right now, I’ve got too much to do to start ranting!

Yes, I’ve got a cuppa waiting and a book by the bed, and I really want to calm down and listen to my ‘Just ten minutes‘ CD before I fall asleep. But I must just tell you about horsesmouth, who I met at One Life. I’m sure you’ve probably heard about it already as they’ve had a fair amount of press coverage, but it’s a really interesting idea … and a great way to give something back without having to step out of your comfort zone. I think people often find it easier to open up to an online stranger than to a real friend face-to-face. As long as we don’t end up living our entire lives in a virtual world!

What a weekend!

Yep, it’s been amazing. I’ve spent just about the whole of it on my own, in the office, staring at a computer screen! And now, at three o’clock on Sunday afternoon, I’m suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Where is the rest of the world, not to mention my own children?! I’m missing them. I feel as if I’ve disappeared into some kind of strange, silent ‘twilight zone’ - can’t even work out how to get the radio on for company! It reminds me of when I was little. Occasionally we’d find ourselves the only car on a country road, or something like that, and I’d feel like we could be the very last people left on the planet. Perhaps that’s it … perhaps I’m the only person left?! Or just the only person mad enough to be working on a weekend!

Anyway, part of the reason why I’m in here now is because I was at the Prowess conference during the week. I have to say, it was great! And not just because I actually got two whole nights of undisturbed sleep, which was heaven in itself! The whole thing was very well organised, full of interesting people doing interesting work. There were some really inspirational speakers and I was fired up in particular by:

• Margaret Heffernan, author of ‘How she does it’, telling the story of Carol Latham and other women entrepreneurs who’ve done great things in their own way

• Nell Merlino talking about the ‘Make mine a million $ business’ campaign she’s started in the States

• Josephine Fairley, founder of Green & Blacks chocolate and now owner of Judges all-organic bakery and the Wellington Square Natural Health Centre in Hastings

There was also a great presentation on marketing to women, which made the point that it’s not enough to just ‘think pink’! Slightly worrying when my stand at the conference had pink mats, pink tulips, a liberal scattering of pink business cards and a bowl of pinky-red cherries! I’d like to believe that, behind all that, I’d instinctively and unconsciously understood the way to a woman’s heart, but who really knows? I did get some positive feedback though, and the cherries went down well! Let’s see what happens at One Life next weekend.

Things are hotting up …

Counting down … and counting the cost!

Got my official joining instructions for the Prowess conference this morning, including an invite to a champagne reception. All sounds very glam … but of course sent me into a blind panic over what to wear! It could have been fine if I’d just placed that big Next Directory order the other night … but, after an hour of filling my online basket, I suddenly remembered that I’m supposed to be anti-consumerism and cancelled the whole thing! Talk about a moment of madness … especially as I’m having one of my fat phases and can’t fit into most of my wardrobe. Hey ho, there are more important things than what you look like. Or so some people say (generally the ones who aren’t looking great!).

Anyway, on a more businesslike note, I’ve been really busy getting the various bits and pieces sorted out for Prowess and then One Life a few days later. I now know why I never went into event organising. I keep waking up in a cold sweat, remembering things that I’d completely forgotten … or not even considered at all! Who’d have thought that there was so much involved in just having a simple stand? And who’d have expected it to cost so much?! I’m referring here to One Life, where every single light bulb and electric socket costs extra. And I don’t think it’s for environmental reasons!

Got to get home now as I’m seeing precious little of my little ones as it is, and am going to be away for a couple of nights at the conference next week. All I can say is, I hope they grow up seeing me as a positive role model of a mum, rather than just being miffed that I wasn’t always there! Time will tell …

Too busy to blog!

  Just a quick one, for obvious reasons! Am suddenly feeling the pressure as the Prowess conference and One Life show loom ever closer and lots of materials need to go to print. Otherwise I have a horrible feeling that I’ll be stood there, just me, without even a business card to give out. And whilst I’m sure I’d find a creative way round it and resort to writing on people’s hands or something, I don’t really want to have to!

So my ‘to do’ list is looking scarily long and the days are seeming scarily short. I’m also struggling a little bit with the feeling that someone else is bringing up my children. Like today - the sun is shining, the air’s fresh and it’s a beautiful afternoon to be down by the river feeding the ducks. And I’m not there having a laugh with my little ones, I’m here, under a fluorescent tube, soaking up radiation from my PC! No wonder I’ve got a headache. Of course, I know that the nanny doesn’t really get to have all the fun, and that I’m doing this for the very best of reasons. I’m just missing my kids and having a bit of a wobble. Show me a working mum who doesn’t! But is it the same for working dads? I could be wrong but it doesn’t seem so … please let me know.